Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s pic seems to be a bit vague, a combination of book and music. Since I can read with almost anything on — I can block out noises and make it white noise (no seriously, I read on the subway with podcasts playing.) Music for me is more of a relaxing or next level concentration, such as work that I need to focus on more than normal or when writing. So I decided that this week’s Top Ten I would do my favorite/current writing songs.

I like a good weird combination of music, but most of my writing music goes from depressing to poppy in a split section, so enjoy?

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Santa Fe from Newsies

My Amazon Prime music is almost all musicals currently, and then Aaron Tveit music. But Santa Fe is one I constantly listen to. Who knows why, other than the idea of moving across the country to a new type of life might mean something to me….

Fight Song by Rachel Platten

Aaaand we get poppy kind of immediately. But this song makes me so happy and push through whatever I can. It’s also one of my punching bag songs.

Manhattan by Sara Bareilles 

There is something about Sara Bareilles’ music, and it only gets better the more I listen to it. This song is so sad and powerful, and it’s gorgeous. What’s funny is, I don’t write angst to sad music. But it feels so much better to listen to it. (Okay maybe a little, but it’s primarily to Damien Rice.)

Bright Lights and Cityscapes by Sara Bareilles

I could really just add this entire EP, but this song is my favorite. Even listening to this song makes me itch to write.

Fireflies by Ron Pope

Ron Pope is a Georgia transplant in Brooklyn, but I so loved him before that. He kept popping up on a Pandora playlist of mine, to the point I had to buy his CD. No regrets. It’s one of my favorite CDs to walk home to as well. His live album is my first go to for anytime I need to buckle down and focus on something.

Crystalize by Lindsey Stirling

Occasionally I need music that doesn’t have words, especially when I’m struggling with getting them out. I love movie soundtracks, but those can also occasionally be too distracting. If you haven’t listened to Lindsey Stirling, take a minute and try. I saw her in concert last year, and she’s amazing. AMAZING.

Alien by Sebastian Pigott

This reminds me — I need to see if I can find more of his music. This song is one that I use when I am writing relationship conflict. I think it comes from his character Kai on Being Erica, which is only how I know this Canadian singer.

Never Leave LA by Emily Kinney

Did you know that Beth from Walking Dead could really sing and had put out CDs? I have a good collection of her music. She did some live singing on her interview with Chris Hardwick on The Nerdiest, and I loved it. It’s good dialogue writing music, good snarky (or super adorably cute) music.

I Should Go by Levis Kreis

So much angst.

and the final song:

New York by Snow Patrol

I give up trying to understand my taste in writing music.

Of course my play list is much longer than this, and gets even more embarrassing. Does anyone else find themselves having a “type” of music for writing?